Head of Transformation - Logistics

Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits

Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA

Contract type: Permanent

Business area: Retail

Closing date: 20 May 2026

Requisition ID: 400060325

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. As the link between sellers and buyers, retail and head office, our Retail Operations team is the cog that keeps things running. With teams focused on store-facing activity, labour, transformation, online, delivery and contact centres, we touch almost every part of the business. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment, where you need to pivot not just daily, but often hourly. So while we plan as much as we can, it’s vital that we all think beyond our job descriptions and look for ways to optimise and improve everything we do. There’s also a real team ethos here. After all, it’s people like you who will truly transform this part of the business.

About the team

Logistics Transformation sits in the wider Logistics Division. Working hand in hand with each of the business functions, this team are responsible for taking our strategy and translating this into programmes of work to transform & grow our business to deliver a better proposition and experience for our customers, enabling us to compete sustainably and more profitably over time.

As Head of Transformation, you will be responsible for developing new simpler operating models and flows which add value to the business, across Logistics over the next 3 years. You will use external market insight to compare models to drive end to end thinking, developing business cases and high-level implementation & change plans. You will work collaboratively with stakeholders across the business at all levels to ensure relevant trade-offs are quantified and that business cases meet the needs of the business.

We are recruiting two Head of Transformation roles within the Logistics Transformation team - one focused on Food, and the other on Transport.

More about the role

In this role, you will bring together the right insights, data and stakeholders to help solve complex business challenges, delivering practical and value‑driven recommendations. You will take an end‑to‑end view across Logistics, exploring cross‑divisional trade‑offs to ensure all decisions drive net value for the business.

You will lead the development of robust business cases, clearly defining outcomes, measurable deliverables and high‑level implementation and change plans. A key part of the role will be ensuring a seamless transition into delivery, with a strong focus on business readiness and effective execution. Working closely with teams across the organisation, you will ensure all relevant trade‑offs are identified, quantified and considered before decisions are made.

You will demonstrate thought leadership and curiosity, challenging existing ways of working and driving innovative solutions informed by external market insight. By building clear, compelling narratives and using effective storytelling, you will influence stakeholders and inspire change.

The role requires strong engagement with senior stakeholders to drive decision‑making and prioritisation, working closely with Strategic Partners to determine ownership and delivery approaches. You will also partner with Finance to ensure the right resources, measures and tracking are in place to support delivery. Operating in an environment of ambiguity, you will bring clarity and structure by framing the right business questions and applying an outcome‑focused, hypothesis‑led approach.

More about you

You are a commercially aware transformation leader who thrives in complex and ambiguous environments. You bring a well‑developed understanding of end‑to‑end logistics and supply‑chain operations, alongside the ability to turn strategic intent into practical, measurable outcomes. You are comfortable influencing senior leaders and presenting clear, compelling narratives that support decision‑making.

You work collaboratively across organisational boundaries and with external partners, using data, insight and external innovation to shape recommendations. You demonstrate curiosity, resilience and structured thinking, anticipate risks early and role‑model inclusive, agile and customer‑focused behaviours while leading others through significant change.

Demonstrable experience leading enterprise‑scale transformation or change programmes within Logistics, Supply Chain or Retail environments.

Proven ability to design end‑to‑end operating models and develop business cases with clearly articulated outcomes, benefits and implementation approaches.

Evidenced experience influencing and engaging senior stakeholders up to Executive or Board level to enable prioritisation and decision‑making.

Demonstratable experience leading cross‑functional and matrix teams through discovery, design and handover into delivery.

Proven use of data, insight and external market comparison to inform complex operational and commercial decisions.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits.

Here are some of them:

• Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year.
• We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover.
• You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary (which may vary for Nectar360), depending on how we perform (in cash and shares).
• Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare.
• We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers.
• You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car.
• And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.
• Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).